Season over, Clark sees ‘what’s doable’ for Fever

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Because the clock ticked down on her rookie season, Caitlin Clark had yet one more 3-point heave in her to attempt to make an unbelievable comeback occur.

She pulled up from 27 ft, the Indiana Fever down six to the Connecticut Sun with 15 seconds left. The shot clanged off the again of the rim, bounced excessive within the air, hit the again iron and landed out of bounds.

That may be the final shot of her season, one which ended with an 87-81 loss to the Sun in Game 2 of the primary spherical of the playoffs Wednesday evening. Because the Solar celebrated their win, the Fever huddled briefly on the courtroom. Clark was the primary one into the tunnel, her lengthy yr of basketball over.

What a yr it was: Clark began her senior yr at Iowa presently in 2023, filling raucous arenas from coast to coast whereas leaving her mark within the faculty and nationwide file books, and setting tv rankings data almost weekly.

With out a lot time to replicate, she was chosen No. 1 within the WNBA draft, then took a group that had gained 30 video games mixed over the earlier 4 years to its first playoff berth since 2016. Although Wednesday evening most actually resulted in disappointment — particularly contemplating the Fever led with 2:05 left — Clark confirmed in her dazzling debut season that this can be a group that’s solely simply starting its rise.

“It is a good little style of what is doable for this group and for this franchise,” Clark stated. “There’s quite a bit for us to carry our heads excessive about. This group gained 5 video games two years in the past. We’re a younger group, a fairly inexperienced group, however we got here collectively and had loads of enjoyable taking part in collectively. Generally the worst a part of it’s such as you really feel such as you’re actually taking part in your greatest basketball, after which it has to finish.”

When the Fever drafted Clark, her presence alone despatched expectations skyrocketing. However after a 1-8 begin, a playoff run appeared inconceivable. It may need taken a while for the Fever to search out their groove, however they did, behind Clark, Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell and a face-paced offense that rapidly turned rather more tough to cease.

Clark ended up setting regular-season WNBA data for assists in a season (337), factors scored or assisted on in a season (1,520), factors by a rookie (769) and 3-point subject targets by a rookie (122). Her skill to not solely shoot however discover her open teammates was on full show within the first two video games of the playoffs. On Wednesday evening, she scored or assisted on 45 factors, essentially the most by a rookie in a playoff recreation in WNBA historical past.

That she did it after taking part in a full school season that ended on April 7, with a loss within the nationwide championship recreation to South Carolina, speaks to her pure expertise.

However as Clark stated after the sport, “The enjoyable half is I really feel like I am simply scratching the floor, and I am one which’s nitpicking each single factor I do. I do know I need to assist this franchise get even higher, assist my teammates get even higher, and I do know there’s loads of room for me to proceed to enhance. So that is what excites me essentially the most. I really feel like I might proceed to get quite a bit higher, and earlier than we all know it, I am certain we’ll all be again right here and prepared for the subsequent yr.”

Fever coach Christie Sides sees all that potential, too, inside her personal locker room. The group could have some selections to make — normal supervisor Lin Dunn stated the group had already begun contract talks with Mitchell. In the meantime, the way forward for NaLyssa Smith additionally appears up within the air; Temi Fagbenle changed her within the beginning lineup in Sport 2.

However with Boston and Clark — back-to-back No. 1 picks — forming the younger nucleus of the group, there’s a stable basis transferring ahead. Dunn talked a few three-year plan in getting the Fever again to the playoffs when she returned to the franchise in February 2022.

The brand new plan?

“The subsequent timeline is taking part in for championships,” Dunn stated. “That is why I liked working for Pacer Sports activities and Leisure and the Fever. We have been all about successful. We have been all about bringing nice individuals into this franchise with a dedication to doing no matter we would have liked to do to be aggressive, evening in and evening out. We anticipate this franchise to be competing for championships.”

There is likely to be some historical past on their facet, too. The three earlier WNBA franchises to have back-to-back No. 1 picks went on to win a WNBA championship inside 4 years. Not that anybody is counting.

As Sides put it: “We positively have the items to have some nice years forward of us.”

What gave Sides much more pleasure in her group was that it needed to combat greater than a tricky begin this season. Clark has been within the highlight for years now, however her addition to the WNBA has led to extra private assaults in numerous varieties, from social media to in-person harassment.

The truth is, Clark acquired into it with a fan within the first quarter, complaining to the officers. Whereas it was unclear what the fan stated, safety pulled him off the ground and spoke with him earlier than he was allowed again to his seat.

Earlier within the week, social media hypothesis ran rampant over whether or not DiJonai Carrington deliberately poked Clark within the eye, abandoning a bruise. Each gamers denied it was intentional, however that didn’t cease it from turning into a speaking level. The truth is, the Solar posted a fingernail painting emoji on social media after their victory. This, after all, just isn’t the primary time this has occurred. Any interplay between Clark and different gamers that turns bodily is dissected advert nauseum.

Clark didn’t deal with the microscope she has been beneath for the previous a number of years, however Sides defended her gamers postgame.

“It is loads of hurtful, hateful speech on the market that is taking place, and it’s unacceptable,” Sides stated. “That is basketball, and that is their job, they usually’re doing the perfect they will. And when it will get private to me, there is no purpose for it. These guys should hear and watch — social media is their life. That is simply what they do. They usually should learn and see this stuff continually, and simply all of the tales which are made up of what individuals see or assume they see. It’s simply not acceptable when it will get private.”

Maybe now that the season is over, there will likely be a while for reflection. As Clark stated, “I really feel like basketball has actually consumed my life for a yr. So I really feel prefer it’ll be good for me to sort of replicate again on every little thing that is occurred.”

She has no plans to select up a basketball within the coming weeks. However you would possibly discover her on a golf course someplace in Indiana till the climate turns chilly.

“I am going to turn into an expert golfer,” Clark stated with fun.

“Not an excessive amount of,” Boston stated. “Hold it basketball.”